The pinstriped suit worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during US president Barack Obama's visit to India for Republic Day celebrations received a bid of Rs 1.21 crore from Surat-based textile trader Rajesh Juneja. A die-hard fan of Modi, Juneja is ready to shell out even more if the need arises, though he has tough competition from a US citizen whose bid he improved upon.
The pinstriped suit worn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during US president Barack Obama's visit to India for Republic Day celebrations received a bid of Rs 1.21 crore from Surat-based textile trader Rajesh Juneja. A die-hard fan of Modi, Juneja is ready to shell out even more if the need arises, though he has tough competition from a US citizen whose bid he improved upon.
"The suit is priceless and one can't fix a value for it. I will be the luckiest person in the world if I get the suit. I have made an offer as per my financial capacity and can add another Rs 15 to Rs 20 lakh if anyone bids higher," he said.
Juneja does not have plans to wear the suit and wants to keep it on display at his house. He will prepare a human-sized glass box to display and preserve the suit properly. "It will make me feel that PM Modi is with me," added Juneja.
Juneja bettered the offer of Viral Choksi, a Gujarati businessman living in the US, who offered a price of Rs 1.11 crore for the suit. Choksi, who was in Surat to attend a wedding, came with his family after learning about auction. "It is an exclusive suit and every fan of Modi will love to have it. This is the reason why I have offered this amount. I will place another offer, if somebody places a bid higher than me," said Choksi.
The first offer received for the suit was for Rs 11 lakh from another Surat-based bidder Pankaj Maheshwari, who is a chartered accountant. Moments after he placed a bid, a Surti businessman placed a bid of Rs 25 lakh. This was followed by an offer from Surat-based textile trader and land developer Raju Agarwal, who announced Rs 51 lakh for the suit.
In the afternoon, another textile trader from the city Suresh Agarwal made an offer of Rs 1 crore for the suit. Agarwal said that he made the bid as "the amount will go for good cause of preserving the Ganga".
Suit made of Cashmere sheep wool
The monogram pin-striped suit is made of woolen fabric, which is made from Cashmere sheep wool. The entire costume is stitched in parallel cuts of sleeves and pants. Mandarin collar and chest pocket tucked with handkerchief is made of silk or multi-coloured check fabric. The suit is prepared by designer Bipin Chauhan, owner of men's apparel store Jade Blue in Ahmedabad.
Idol of PM created in 24 hours for placing suit
Udhna-based interior designer Maharishi Kaviya prepared idol of Modi in 24 hours so that PM Modi's monogram pin-strip can be displayed in a proper manner. Kaviya, who prepared idol from fibre glass said that shaping idol as per suit was a challenging task, but he was successful in the end.
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